A Balamb Garden Festival
by Medea5
Summary: Part 3 is finally here! More Squall-Scrooge-ness, and featuring Zell! Please R+R, and watch out for the next installment!
1. Ellone's Message

A Balamb Garden Festival

A Balamb Garden Festival

by Medea [][1](medea_s@yahoo.com)

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and all it's characters belong to Square and not me. I'm not worth suing anyway, all you'll get out of me is a slow computer, some anime videos and my Eva models... *hides her Seifer figurine behind her back* ^^;   
This fic is based shamelessly on Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol' in case you couldn't tell. Thanks go out to Pete for helping me with ideas!

------ Stave One ------

The Sorceress War was over. Peace had returned to the world, and the Garden remained in operation so that they could be prepared for Ultimecia's eventual birth. You could say life had returned to normal, if there ever was such a thing. 

As the seasons turned, everyone began to settle into routine. There were classes to run by Quistis, girls to chase by Irvine, hotdogs to eat by Zell, and everything else was pretty much left to Squall. He was beginning to tire of repeating his story to students, but each recollection drew crowds - and developed into a source of income. Another thing he grew tiresome of was Rinoa. Sure, the girl was a sweetheart. And she had such nice, round.. eyes. But Squall-I-don't-need-anyone-else-Leonhart started to remember exactly _why_ he preferred solitude for so long. It just wasn't his thing to express emotions at the drop of a hat.

"Happy Solstice, Squall!"

The one addressed looked up to see a smiling vested Robin Williams look-alike standing before him in the office, daring to interrupt his deep thoughts. He regarded the headmaster for a moment with a stoic expression before frowning.

"...Whatever."

"Come on, Squall!" Cid adjusted the glasses on his nose. "Aren't you excited about the Garden Festival tomorrow? Everyone has put in so much effort..."

[Excited? What do I have to be excited about? Everyone is just getting distracted from their objective. This is a military academy. Not a place for fraternity parties. It's only a festival.]

"... The pride of Balamb Garden! Life and death, victory and defeat..."

[Does this old man ever quit with his speeches? He makes the festival seem like it's greater than time compression. Well, maybe to Selphie it is. I guess people need to be able to have some fun once in a while. But the Festival just doesn't appeal to me.]

"What do you say, Squall? Would you?"

Of course, Squall had not been listening to Cid's recitation of the joys of the Festival. But instead of protesting, he gave him a reluctant "...Whatever," which resulted in a beaming headmaster.

"Good! It's about time you get away from your work and have some fun. I don't want you all to become like robots..."

"Hey, I'll see you there, Squall," piped up Nida, who had been listening in on the conversation from his post on the bridge. The commander simply blinked at him, then turned away so the guy could disappear into the obscurity of an NPC once again.

At that moment, Selphie Tilmitt came bounding into the room. Squall leaned back on his desk, raised a hand to his forehead, and sighed.

"Hiya, Squall!" The brunette chirped with a smile. Pivoting on the spot, she turned to face Cid and gave him the SeeD salute. "Sir, everything's coming along according to schedule."

"Wonderful!" He responded, smiling brightly. "Squall here has agreed to be the MC for tomorrow," he added.

[Huh?!]

"Really? Wow! Booyaka! Thanks, Squall!"

[W-wait...]

"This is gonna be great! Everyone really looks up to you Squall! I've got to go tell Irvine and the others!" And with that, she left the office, more excited than normal, if that was possible.

Squall, however, had a look of sheer dread on his face. Cid noticed it, and put a hand on his shoulder. Expression from Mr. Iceberg, good or bad, was exceptionally rare. "Come now, Squall. It can't be that bad."

"But it is! I don't want this. I never asked for it. Go get someone else to be MC for the stupid festival." Scowling, Squall stormed into the elevator, leaving behind a bewildered old man.

Squall calmed down a little, and took his melancholy dinner in the usual melancholy cafeteria. Having read the Balamb Times, and beguiled the rest of the evening with his SeeD code and conduct manual, he retired to bed. He lived in a dormitory which had once belonged to a nameless SeeD, who had long since left Garden. It was a sterile room, and consisted of little more than a cot, a desk, and some drawers. The case for his gunblade rested against one wall, and the only real sign of residence was a purple striped sock that sat abandoned and lifeless in a corner of the room.

Lying back on his bed, Squall proceeded to drift off into the world of his thoughts once more. Outside, the sun was beginning to submerge into the abyss behind the small town to the west of the Garden, and the structure lit up with its own light, bright enough to rival the sun. Holding the back of his hand to his eyes to block out the menacing glow of the fluorescent on the ceiling, he let his mind wander, and thought about things in the way Squall only could.

(Squall?)

He blinked confusedly, wrinkling the scar on his forehead. Someone was talking in his mind - again. Squall knew it wasn't his Guardian Forces, for they would only speak to him through sensations of ice or thunder. With the power of deduction, he realised who it must be speaking to him.

"Ellone?"

(Hi, Squall. How are you?)

Pausing to think, Squall decided eventually on what word would be appropriate to assess his present mood.

"Lousy. Is there something wrong, Elle?"

(Yes, there is. Everybody is starting to get worried about you. Actually, we're getting fed up with your nonchalant, self-absorbed attitude.)

[What?!] Squall sat up, and shook his head in disbelief.

(Everyone has been working incredibly hard on the summer festival, and you're acting so negative. So they've asked me to do this.)

[I wish everyone would just leave me alone!]

"What's going on? Ellone?"

(Squall, just listen to me. I can't keep this 'connection' for long. You have to be taught a lesson. It's for your own good.)

"Huh? Why?"

(Because if you keep being an asshole, we will be forced to kill you.)

That shut Squall up. He blinked his eyes. Surely Quistis, Zell and the others wouldn't... Before he could question the intruding voice, it continued to speak.

(Tonight, you shall be visited by three guides. I'm going to help them take you through time. Without their help, you cannot expect to overcome your problems and stop being so damn pissy.)

Squall tried to protest, he was seriously worried. Traveling through time to see through Laguna's eyes was bad enough. But would Ellone make him go through the memories of his childhood? So before he could say a word, his thoughts drowned him, and Ellone continued.

(Expect the first tomorrow, when the clock strikes one.)

"Can't I just take them all at once?" He shifted his weight on the bed, much like a child fidgeting in hope to avoid Matron's reprimand. "To have it all over and done with?"

(Expect the second on the next night at the same hour. The third upon the next night when the last stroke of twelve has ceased to vibrate. Goodbye, Squall, and good luck.)

"Ellone! Ellone, wait!" Squall was on his feet, calling to his unseen companion. It was, however, already too late, for she had disconnected her power to communicate in such a way. The room fell silent, and the leather-clad commander sat back down on his bed. He tried to dismiss what had occurred with a "Whatever," but the word simply would not form on his lips. With a tap of the X button, he turned off the lights and fell asleep instantly.

   [1]: mailto:(medea_s@yahoo.com



	2. The First Spirit

A Balamb Garden Festival

A Balamb Garden Festival

by Medea [][1](medea_s@yahoo.com)

The usual disclaimer applies. Thanks everyone for the great reviews!

------ Stave 2 ------  
-- The First Spirit --

When Squall awoke, it was so dark that he couldn't see his own hands in front of him. Even outside his window, the black night had swallowed any glimmer of light. Squinting, he tried to see, when the sound of his wall clock began to chime out the hour. It rang out all the way to twelve, much to Squall's astonishment. He remembered it was two in the morning when he last glanced at the clock. Could he have slept through an entire day? No. That was unlikely. Surely Rinoa would have woken him in the morning. 

"Must be broken," he stated to the empty room. He lifted an arm and checked his wristwatch. It read the same time. Perhaps this was a plot of some undiscovered Sorceress, to take away the sunlight, and it was in fact midday? Shaking off his sleepiness, he climbed out of bed and strapped his gunblade to his back. Satisfied he was equipped and junctioned, Squall headed out of his dorm and into the corridor.

He did not see people clamouring about like they did through daylight hours. If anything had gone wrong, someone would have noticed. Right?

Squall went to bed again, and proceeded to fret over the predicament with inner dialogue. The more he thought, the more perplexed he was; and the more he endeavered not to think, the more he thought. There was no way he could get back to sleep like this. He couldn't deny that Ellone's words had had an affect on him. She had told him the first guide would arrive at one. The hour seemed to creep by as if he was under the influence of a Haste spell, and everything around was many times slower than he.

After an eternity of waiting, the wall clock chimed once. The noise seemed to hang frozen in the air, and Squall found himself to be holding his breath as if he were expecting some kind of ghost. He had to consciously inhale again, for he was starting to turn blue.

[It must have been a joke. Yeah. Real funny, guys.]

Squall looked at his watch again. It was five minutes past one. Another five minutes passed, and he was sure it was nothing more than an idle threat, a prank. He began to settle back down in his bed when the door suddenly burst open.

"Leonhart!"

The lights flicked on, and Squall had to shield his eyes from the brightness. As the burn in his retinas subsided, he looked at the figure standing in his doorway who had just bellowed his name. It was tall and masculine, dressed in blue, black and silver-grey. Upon his golden visage was a terribly familiar smile, smug and arrogant. The smile, however, was not as prominent as a diagonal scar, his only imperfection of appearance, that ran from his brow, over the bridge of his nose, to his right cheek.

"Damnit, Seifer!" Squall grumbled, standing to his feet. "What the hell is wrong with you? It's one in the morning..."

"Rise and shine, pretty boy." The blonde smirked, taking a few steps into the room. "Tonight's your lucky night. You're gonna be taken on a tour, thanks to yours truly."

"Let me guess, you're here because of Ellone?"

"No, dumbass, I'm here because I wanted to see you in your chocobo boxers."

Squall blinked. "Really?"

The ex-Knight rolled his eyes. "Don't make me kick yer ass, Squall. Now, are you ready or not? Because I ain't waiting."

He nodded. "You're a little late though, aren't you?"

"Yeah, well. The pleasuring of a woman should not be rushed." Seifer grinned and ran a gloved hand through his hair. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, huh?"

Squall frowned in disgust. "...Whatever."

His rival smiled dangerously. "Rinoa says hi."

[What?!]

Reading the look of murder on Squall's face, Seifer chuckled. "Calm down, Leonhart. As if I would do that skanky ho-"

Before he could continue, the room started to fade away around them. The air seemed to come alive with gusty breezes, and the fresh, salty scent of the ocean could be recognised instantly. The new setting began to materialise, and Squall looked about in wonder.

"The orphanage?"

Seifer had already started off down towards the beach, his coat billowing after him. It was mid morning, and the waves glistened with the kiss of sunlight. By the seashore before the lighthouse were castles left abandoned in the white sand, which were gently touched by the fingertips of the ocean. Squall's stoic expression softened slightly at the sight of his old home, and jogged a few paces to catch up to the guide.

The two continued on, walking until their path had turned from grass to beach sand, and then limestone path. As they walked closer to the old stone orphanage, Squall spotted a small pack of children, gathered around a young boy and girl, who were holding hands. Behind them all stood a woman in black, and she was talking to a man whose eyes were wet with tears.

"They can't see us," remarked Seifer. "They're just shadows of things that have been." 

"Don't worry, Mr. President," the woman spoke gently. "They will be well looked after here. I understand your wish to protect them..."

He nodded once, and brushed his long fringe from his eyes. Squall stood silently as he watched the scene from afar. He glanced at Seifer, who was sitting on a low wall polishing his Hyperion, then returned his attention back to the group.

"I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your wife."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kramer," the man said, his voice weak. "I know this must seem terrible, leaving them like this, but..."

"Hush now, it is for the best. You will always be welcome here to visit them."

[It's... it's me and Elle. The day Laguna left us. I think I remember now.]

Squall felt a lump manifest in his throat. Perhaps if he was alone he might show some emotion externally, but since Seifer was only a few feet away, he decided against it.

The group of children drew closer to their new friends. The girl in blue smiled to the boy and let go his hand, and started talking to some of the other girls. The boy stood there, and cast a look over to where his father was beginning to walk away. Tears brimmed in his eyes and his bottom lip trembled. But before he could break into sobs, another little boy with blonde hair approached him, introduced himself and asked him to play.

"Seifer," Squall said, poking the guy in the side. "What happened to you? You were such a nice kid."

He stared at Squall for a moment. Then he cleared his throat, and waved a hand majestically in front of him. The scene began to fade, and change into another. This time, it is late afternoon, and the sun is blanketed behind threatening storm clouds. The children are all inside, all save for one. It is Squall, a few years older, standing in the small courtyard, his little face streaked with tears.

"I'll be okay, sis Elle," the little boy murmured. "I'll be okay on my own. But I'll miss you..."

Squall narrowed his eyes, as if to block away the tears.

"Look over there, kinky pants." Seifer cupped a hand on his shoulder, and pointed to a ship that had landed down the shore. Squall shrugged off the hand and turned. In the distance, he spotted Ellone being led onto the ship by some people in White SeeD uniform. They walked closer to inspect the scene.

"Miss, your life is in danger. We're here to protect you."

"I know," the girl sobbed. "But what about the others? Won't he come for them?"

"No. It's only you he's after, Miss Ellone."

"I see."

"If you stayed, you would be putting all their lives in danger, too..."

[She left to save us?] Squall raised a hand to his forehead and sighed. [I've been so selfish...]

Seifer moved to stand in front of Squall. "You done reminiscing? There's one more to show ya." 

He shrugged his reply. The scene faded away once again, and a new one formed. It was a rocky field in the Alcauld plains. The sky was overcast, and two figures were standing at the edges, wielding gunblades.

"Seifer, what's the point of this?"

The blonde grinned. "I just wanted to show you the day I scarred you, brat."

"...Whatever."

Squall found himself caught up in the action of the battle. He relived the sensations of swinging his gunblade, blocking his opponents attacks, even being engulfed in the pyrokinetic attack. The scar on his forehead ached and felt wet like a fresh wound. When the duel was over, he passed out from overwhelming pain and exhaustion, just as he had done that fateful day.

   [1]: mailto:(medea_s@yahoo.com



	3. The Second Spirit

A Balamb Garden Festival

A Balamb Garden Festival

by Medea ([][1]medea_s@yahoo.com)

AN: The usual disclaimer applies. I'm sorry this chapter took so long ^^;

------ Stave 3 ------  
- The Second Spirit -

Awaking in the middle of a snore, and sitting up suddenly in bed, it took Squall a moment to realise where he was. He didn't see Doctor Kadowaki in front of him, poking his forehead. Instead, he was back in his dorm, in the warmth of his own bed. He didn't need to be told that it was almost one in the morning. This time, he felt ready to meet the second guide Ellone had sent him. He climbed out of bed and paced around the room, wondering who would be the next one to walk through his door.

But instead of it being broken down, the visitor patiently remained in the corridor and knocked three times. Squall quickly turned the handle and looked upon the figure in the hallway. He was dressed in loose black pants, held about his waist with a rope belt; and a torn blue vest which exposed his tanned, well-built chest. On his left shoulder was a silver guard with the kanji for thunder upon it.

"Hey, Squall! I'm your second guide, ya know," he said, with a boyish grin upon his chocolate coloured face.

"Raijin." Squall nodded to him nonchalantly. "Let's go get this over and done with."

They walked down the corridor, past the dormitories and into the lobby. It was daytime, and students and SeeDs alike were bustling about as per their usual schedules. But for some reason, everyone seemed a lot more cheerful that usual. Card games took place left and right, and music was played softly over the PA system.

Squall followed his bulky companion to the cafeteria. The same cheeriness was in the room, and there was not one utterance of the word "diet" anywhere. Even the old lunch ladies with their red hair and aged features were grinning as they served the Garden's famous hotdogs.

"Attention everyone!" Said a voice over the PA, and the music was turned off. "This is Headmaster Cid. I want to wish everyone a great Festival! You all deserve it!"

Cheers and applause broke out over the cafeteria. Raijin was grinning, clearly amused by all that was occurring.

"I'd offer you a drink, ya know," He said quietly to Squall. "But these are just shadows."

Squall responded with a mumbled "Whatever", and continued to look at all the faces in the room. Over in one corner he spotted Quistis, Irvine and some jealous, vengeful Trepies, sitting together eating their lunch. They started waving in his direction. He wasn't sure if they could see him or not, and looked behind him to avoid their eyes. To his surprise, in ran a very hyperactive Zell, who pushed over all in his path to get to the counter.

"Can I h-have a hot dog, please?" He panted, gazing wide-eyed at the woman at the counter like a starving child. 

"Of course," Smiled the lunch lady. 

Zell jumped up, punched the air, and cried "Booya!" He watched with excited anticipation as the woman moved around the cramped area behind the counter. She went over to the bread box, and he found his mouth watering. Next, she went to the warmer, and beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. She reached for the sauce, and Zell had to adjust his jacket collar as he gulped. She grabbed a sheet of paper, and wrapped the delicious bundle of bun and composite meat. To him she seemed to move incredibly slow, and perhaps thought that his jumping on the spot would somehow hurry her up.

Eventually, the old woman handed out the prized package. Squall noticed that the hot dog was pitifully small, barely four inches in length. Zell didn't seem to notice, and Squall couldn't remember seeing a bigger smile on his face since the guy passed his SeeD exam. Brandishing his long sought after grail, the blonde ran through the seating area, holding it as if one wrong move and it would explode. 

Squall and Raijin watched in awe as Zell unwrapped the paper with extreme caution. He placed it down on the table ever so carefully, and cradled the naked hot dog with both hands. His eyes lidded, and he drew close to inhale the aroma of the food product. Oblivious to his friend's looks, he opened his eyes again, and grinned at his prey. Suddenly, he shoved the whole thing in his mouth, and gulped it down, barely chewing it.

Squall's bemused stare was interrupted when he felt a large paw swat his shoulder. 

"It's sad, isn't it? But you're the one who signed the paper to cut back funding for delicacies, ya know."

Squall blinked. Hot dogs, a delicacy? He honestly couldn't remember sighting that form. He then realised Cid must have placed it in the "Whatever" box on his desk. 

"Raijin, I've seen enough, ya know... I mean, I've seen enough."

"There's another thing to see, ya know. Seifer said I've gotta take you to the festival concert."

Squall sighed. "...Whatever."

They walked through the Garden, half-listening to the soft melodic tune that seems to haunt your dreams after playing FFVIII for too long. Eventually they reached the quad, where the concerts were about to begin. Selphie was spotted running around like a headless chocobo, unbelievably stressed out over the course of events.

"Where is that Irvine?!" She grumbled, almost throwing down the flood light she held. "Gah! I oughtta castrate him..."

"Sefie? Sweetie?" The said victim poked his head out from around the corner, regretting having lunch at all. He smiled nervously, and adjusted his hat.

"Irvine." Selphie sighed, closing her eyes tightly. Then her face turned as red as her nunchaku, and she began to glow with an odd energy as she opened them again. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! Ihavehalfanhouruntiltheconcertbeginsandthelightsaren'tupyetandyou'retoobusyslackingofftofrickenHELPme!"

"Calm down, hon. I'm here now. Everything will work out. You're doing a terrific job..."

Raijin was laughing at Squall's side. "Whipped, ya know!"

Meanwhile, Squall was absolutely mortified. He had never seen Selphie acting so... demonic.

Time passed, and the concert went underway without too many hitches. A mediocre band played a few mediocre songs, a student played a drum solo, and Headmaster Cid gave another of his beloved speeches. It was then announced that it was time to play a game called 'Celebrity Heads'. Three individuals from the audience were chosen, and made their way onto the stage. Upon their heads were placed bands with a name written across it, and they had to ask yes/no questions to find out who they were.

"Am I a SeeD?" The first student asked, and was answered by a cheer. "Am I a girl?" A giggle came from one section, but the general consensus was a negative. After the others took their first turns, the boy had another go. He discovered that he was indeed a male, didn't wear a uniform, was from Balamb, didn't have an obsession with a particular food, had no dangerously ambitious dream, and was anal retentive. The crowd roared with peals of laughter, and the boy eventually stepped forward.

"I know, I know! I'm Squall!"

With a sigh, Squall raised a hand to his forehead, mumbling, ".....". After Raijin stopped laughing (a good five minutes later), the scene faded, and they stood in a corridor somewhere in Garden.

"Orright, this is where it ends, ya know? It's been fun, Squall..."

Squall sighed, and nodded. He didn't even have time to say his trademark line when Raijin bounded away. The resonant sound of a clock chiming echoed through the corridor, and our hero counted out to twelve. As the last stroke ceased to vibrate, he remembered Ellone's words, and lifting up his eyes, beheld a solemn figure coming down the hall, boots marking a steady rhythmic pace, towards him.

   [1]: mailto:medea_s@yahoo.com



End file.
